70s gadgets making comeback: Teasmade sales up 20 per cent, says John Lewis

Home gadgets popular in the 1960s and 70s are becoming popular all over again. John Lewis has revealed that sales of modern Teasmades are up by 20 per cent this year, while there has also been a resurgence in the sales of hostess trolleys and SodaStreams.

Teasmades were hugely popular for 20 years, until sales declined in the 1980s, with people loving the idea of waking up to a hot cup of tea in the morning. Combining an alarm clock and tea-brewing system, perhaps the most famous of them was made by Goblin, although it is now Swan that John Lewis says is its best seller.

The Swan STM100 Teasmade costs £54.95 and is far quieter than equivalents from the Seventies. It also features a safer design and digital clock.

"The classic Teasmade has done well because it is quite a quaint, almost comical, product," said Will Jones, electricals buyer at John Lewis.

"The resurgence in popularity is a combination of the appreciation of the invention but also building a nostalgic concept."

Hostess trolleys, which keep food warm as it is served, have become popular because of TV shows promoting entertaining at home, claims Suzanne Hothersall, commercial director of manufacturer Crosslee, while the SodaStream has constantly adapted over the last couple of years to provide a modern take on the classic fizzy drinks maker.

Our senior ed of news and features has been a tech and games journalist for more than 27 years, and has been with Pocket-lint for over five. Rik has edited a number of videogame magazines in the past, was deputy editor of Home Cinema Choice, and his TV career included stints as co-presenter of Channel 4's Gamesmaster and Sky One’s Games World.